Doctors are advised to consider any acute respiratory viral infection as suspected coronavirus

It is recommended that healthcare professionals classify any case of acute respiratory viral infections, regardless of medical history, as a suspected SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. This is stated in the temporary guidelines published on the website of the Ministry of Health of Russia.

A group of leading Russian scientists and clinicians has prepared temporary guidelines “Drug treatment of acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI) in outpatient practice during the COVID-19 epidemic.”

The manual includes information on the differential diagnosis of acute respiratory viral infections caused by the influenza virus, other viruses (rhinovirus, adenovirus, parainfluenza, human metapneumoviruses), and bacterial pathogens, and COVID-19.

Antiviral therapy should begin in the first 48 hours from the onset of the disease. It has been clinically proven that it is the early start of treatment that provides a shorter and milder course of the disease in patients with COVID-19.

The authors provide several options for treatment regimens for managing patients with acute respiratory viral infections on an outpatient basis.

Methodological recommendations for drug treatment of acute respiratory viral infections are published on the website of the Ministry of Health of Russia and sent to the constituent entities of the Russian Federation to familiarize all outpatient doctors who provide outpatient care to patients with signs of acute respiratory viral infection.